In the months leading up to the birth of our baby we read many books and took a 12 week Bradley course, we could not stress enough how helpful this was. Our labor was long and hard but thanks to the knowledge we gleaned from Bradley we were able to make educated decisions.
My husband and I moved into a new home a few weeks before the birth of our baby, we did our best to prepare for the new member of our family before their arrival. On Sunday the 27th of June we were doing some final touches by hanging all of our pictures. As we were hanging the very last item, the Mezuzah that a friend bought us for the baby’s door frame while in Israel, I experienced my very first contraction. It was 8pm in the evening and I did not want to get my hopes up so I just kept this to myself. Every hour on the hour I had another contraction. At about 4am the 28th (My Birthday!) I woke up my husband and told him what was going on and asked if he would press on my lower back for counter pressure. This went on for a few more hours; I called work to let them know I was not coming in. Per the wise counsel of Bradley we did not call our family and friends to tell them we were in labor. We had no idea that it would be another 40 hours before our blessing would arrive.
We called our Bradley Instructor, Doula, midwife and a friend of ours who is an RN (she wanted to witness a natural birth). I had an appointment with the midwife that day anyway so we decided to go in and check to see how things were progressing. I had only dilated to a 1 and the midwife urged us to go home as she did not think I would progress very fast ... she was right! As the day progressed I was receiving Happy Birthday calls, the hubby was fielding these calls as to not let others know I was in labor. I continued to labor throughout the day. I tried a variety of labor positions, walking, taking a bath and sleeping. The hours seemed to drag. That evening around 7pm our Doula and RN arrived to relieve Hubby so he could get some much needed rest. Doula and RN did their best to help me get comfortable and move things along. Through the night all three of them took turns staying up with me and applying counter pressure to my back and speaking softly to me.
Finally about 10 am June 29th, our Doula suggested we try a dangling squatting position. I tried this position a few times and soon I felt things progressing. This position repositioned baby because it almost instantly began to move things along. I started feeling like I was making progress. Doula asked me if I thought I was ready to head to the hospital, we decided to call the midwives to confirm it would be okay for me to head that way. They requested I stop by their offices before going to labor and delivery. We packed up the car and began the 30 minute drive to the hospital. Once we arrived we stopped by to have the midwife check me and she said I was dilated to about a 4. They gave me the option of going home, checking in, or going for a walk to keep things moving. Hubby and I decided that we would go walk around a nearby park.
We walked around the park for about an hour. Thankfully there were not a lot of park visitors as my moaning and labor stances probably looked a bit scary! It wasted about 2 hours and allowed labor to progress. I decided that maybe I should head to the hospital because they have Jacuzzi tubs for the natural laboring mothers. This would help me relax and prepare for the next stage of labor. We checked into the hospital around 1:30pm. By 2pm we began to fill the tub and I hoped in, within minutes my water broke. “FINALLY,” I thought to myself. However, at first it felt like I just peed ... until I looked in the water and noticed the color ... it was pea green. I immediately knew what that meant, meconium staining. Thanks to Bradley I knew exactly what that meant. I knew this was normal and that I could still deliver our baby naturally.
Because of the meconium the hospital RN called our midwife to notify her. The midwife arrived in our room shortly; she immediately had them place a monitor around me to monitor baby’s heart rate. I had dilated to a 5 and things still appeared to be progressing. After a while of running a strip on the baby she was concerned that the baby’s heart rate was not recovering fast enough after a contraction, she requested that I allow them to give me fluids intravenously. I was ok with this since there would be no drugs issued, just fluids as it was difficult to properly hydrate fast enough. Within minutes the baby’s heart rate was showing improvement. The midwife periodically checked me for dilation and ran a strip to check baby’s heart rate. In between I did my best to find the most comfortable position.
My midwife was getting concerned that I was not progressing and that my waters were changing colors. Meaning that the baby was continuing to have bowel movements indicating it was under stress. She began monitoring me and baby even closer and started watching the clock. She requested an internal fetal heart monitor. I learned in Bradley this is not a good thing! She was not getting a good heart rate reading on the strip so she wanted to make sure the baby’s heart rate was ok. I understood why she wanted it but it broke my heart to know that my sweet baby’s head had a little screw in it! Midwife was concerned that if the baby did not come very soon she would have to take measures into her own hands. During this time frame I had managed to dilate to a 7 and then go backward to a 5! Needless to say I was getting discouraged! Midwife began using terms that I never thought I would hear during MY labor! Pitocin, Cesarean section, vacuum at this point fear started to set in. Thanks to my Doula and RN, they focused on keeping me calm. While Hubby fought for what we believed in our heart of hearts to be the best for me and our baby! He was calling our Bradley Instructor, talking with the midwife and trying to relax me. He was so wonderful and strong. I thrived on his strength; I needed to know he believed in me and natural childbirth. I could not have done it without him.
Our midwife reports to an OB, he also was notified of my status and began monitoring me. At one point our midwife came in and said that the OBGYN was requesting they place me on a PIT (Pitocin drip) to help progress things. Hubby and I almost flew off the handle. I began to cry, concerned that this labor was going to result in c-section. Doula recommended Hubby and Midwife discuss our options in the hall to prevent me from getting any more upset. While they were in the hall I once again made a huge leap in labor! I turned to my Doula and said “I have to poop!!” in other words I felt for the first time that I needed to push! It was like a breath of fresh air! RN ran out to the hall to tell Hubby, Midwife had just walked away. Hubby said the Midwife would be coming to check me in 30 minutes anyway because she had stressed to him that she was very concerned for baby and me and that if we did not show progress very soon she was going to start the PIT. Hubby requested and hour, she responded with “we don’t have an hour, 30 minutes.” He said “45 minutes.” She agreed and would be monitoring me from the nurse’s desk! Needless to say I was so glad that I had made some progress and anxiously awaited her return to see if we could really begin pushing!
Midwife returned, RN had informed her that I was feeling the need to push so she was up to date on my status. She checked me and said I had dilated to an 8!!! Once again a sigh of relief! I was getting a second wind of energy! She left the room to notify the OB and get the birthing stool, upon our request. I began pushing around 9:00pm on the 29th. I pushed on my own for about 45 minutes and I quickly began loosing that second wind. Midwife once again asked me if she could put me on a PIT. I immediately turned to Doula. She looked at me with confidence and said softly, “I think it is a good idea, you are so tired.” She made me realize that I had been in labor for 2 days and I was exhausted and in order for my uterus to have the strength to push the baby out it needed a little help. She agreed that it would make the contractions more intense, but it would help. Hubby and I consented to the PIT. I began pushing when I felt the urge and with the coaching of Hubby, RN, Doula, Midwife and the wonderful hospital RNs! At one point Midwife left the room to get a hospital RN that quickly became my cheerleader and coach! She instructed me on how to position my legs, arms, the sounds to make. She was like a breath of fresh air. She was encouraging, positive and did not just say it but I could tell she believed I could deliver Baby natural! Throughout pushing I had a roller coaster of emotions. I would be thinking to myself I can’t do this, I give up, I want a c-section! And then my midwife would tell me to reach down and feel Baby’s head or Hubby would look me in the eye and say encouraging words.
After pushing with PIT for 2+ hours Baby’s head began to make its way out. I would push and take 3 steps forward and relax and take 2 steps backward. At 11:46pm our sweet Baby made its entrance into our lives. We did not find out the sex so when Baby arrived, Hubby excitedly announced, “It’s, it’s a GIRL!” Wow, she was here, we did it! Because of the meconium staining NICU staff was in the room ready to take her immediately to clean out her lungs and clean off her body. This is very important because if she would have swallowed any of the fluid she could be at risk for pneumonia and days in the NICU. Praise the L-rd they cleaned it all out and I soon began hearing her make her presence known! Hubby stood between her and me watching the actions of hospital staff closely. He held my hand and tearfully smiled at me. Within minutes they had cleaned, weighed, measured, printed, wrapped her tightly and handed her to me. I was overwhelmed with emotions! I unwrapped her and placed her skin-on-skin to my chest and she immediately began nursing. She was so beautiful!
It was long and hard, but that is why they call it labor! I am so thankful for all that helped us leading up to and during our labor marathon. It was worth every minute and I would do it again. When she finally arrived every memory of pain was so faint. I could hold, nurse, and love on my baby who was alert and able to hold up her head! I could walk from the delivery room to the recovery room; I left the hospital within 20 hours of giving birth. It was amazing! Knowledge truly is power!
